As a child growing up in Montreal, Stephanie Helmer, M.D., unknowingly prepared to be a heart surgeon by practicing the cello. “If you’re preparing for a performance, every note has to be perfect and everything has to sound right,” Helmer said. “You go over phrases until it’s perfect, or as close to perfect as you...

Taking care of the people around them is almost every woman’s first priority. This “second shift” tends to lean toward women in many homes all over the world. Women often are the household workers. They are the main caretaker for children, the planners and the cleaners. All of these tasks can lead not only to...

People often don’t realize that there are distinct stages of caregiving. Caregivers ask me early on in the process how we can best prepare to begin caregiving. In many ways, this is the most important step. As with anything in life, you have to ready yourself for that role. And these decisions are not straightforward...